Mekkhala Storm Forces Japan to Cancel 120 Flights

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Japan’s southern islands are facing major transport disruption on June 26 as Severe Tropical Storm Mekkhala barrels past Okinawa and toward Kyushu, prompting Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways to cancel over 120 flights and triggering a wider wave of travel changes across the Asia-Pacific region.

Storm Mekkhala Slams Okinawa and Southern Kyushu

Publicly available information from Japan’s Meteorological Agency and regional media shows Mekkhala, downgraded from a typhoon to a severe tropical storm, bringing gusts of up to around 140 kilometers per hour and intense rainfall to parts of Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures. The system is skirting Japan’s southwestern flank, lashing the Ryukyu island chain before tracking along the Pacific side of Kyushu and Shikoku through the weekend.

Heavy rain bands have already swept across southern and western Japan, with localized flooding and landslide risks reported in Kagoshima and neighboring prefectures. Forecast maps indicate that Mekkhala’s outer rain shield will continue to affect key aviation and ferry hubs, including Naha, Miyako, Amami and Kagoshima, through at least June 27.

The storm is arriving amid an already active early summer typhoon season in Japan, heightening concerns for residents, domestic travelers and international visitors who have returned in large numbers since Japan lifted most border restrictions.

Japan Airlines and ANA Ground Over 120 Flights

According to multiple wire service and domestic news reports, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways together have cancelled at least 120 flights on June 26 alone, primarily serving Okinawa and Kagoshima. Japan Airlines is reported to have scrapped around 70 services, while All Nippon Airways has pulled approximately 50 flights, with the numbers expected to fluctuate as the storm path evolves.

The bulk of the cancellations involve domestic sectors linking Okinawa’s Naha Airport and Kagoshima with major Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, as well as inter-island services across the Ryukyu chain. Some regional routes that connect to broader Asia-Pacific networks, including those that funnel passengers onward to Southeast Asia and Oceania, are also affected as aircraft and crews become out of position.

ANA’s publicly available operational notices show that flights to and from Naha and Kagoshima across most of June 26 are subject to suspension or delays, with further disruption flagged for June 27 in Okinawa. Japan Airlines has issued similar advisories, asking passengers to check real-time status before traveling to the airport and allowing fee-free changes in many cases.

Asia-Pacific Travel Ripple Effects Spread Outward

The wave of cancellations in Japan is quickly reverberating across the wider Asia-Pacific air network. Flight status pages and travel agent bulletins indicate a growing number of schedule changes on regional routes that feed passengers into Okinawa and Kyushu, particularly from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China.

In Taiwan, carriers have adjusted multiple round-trips between Taichung, Taipei and Naha, with some flights delayed by several hours and others cancelled outright as Mekkhala advances over the Ryukyu Islands. In Hong Kong, at least one major airline has introduced special ticketing guidelines for Japan services, waiving change fees for passengers booked to or from Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo on dates when Mekkhala’s remnants are forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds.

These changes mean that even travelers not flying directly into the storm’s core in Okinawa or Kagoshima may still face knock-on delays or missed connections as aircraft rotations are disrupted and crews are re-assigned. For long-haul passengers from Europe, North America and Australia, any missed domestic link in Japan can cascade into overnight stays and rerouting.

Ground Transport, Industry and Tourism Under Strain

The impact of Mekkhala is not limited to the skies. Local media coverage notes that rail and road traffic across parts of Kyushu have also been affected, with precautionary slowdowns and temporary suspensions where rainfall has been heaviest. Some highway sections in southern Kyushu have experienced closures due to landslide risk, complicating access to and from Kagoshima Airport.

Industrial operations are also adjusting. Reports indicate that at least one major automaker has suspended shifts at a Kyushu facility due to storm-related transport disruptions, while others are monitoring conditions and planning temporary halts if supply chains are further interrupted. These measures add an economic dimension to what is primarily a safety-driven response.

In tourism-dependent Okinawa, hotels and guesthouses are updating guests on changing ferry and flight schedules, with many visitors choosing to shelter in place until conditions improve. Social media posts and travel forums show travelers rearranging itineraries, shortening island-hopping plans, or shifting to indoor activities as beaches close and marine tours are cancelled.

Travelers Face Uncertainty as Forecasts Remain Complex

Forecasters in Japan and international meteorological agencies highlight that Mekkhala is moving in tandem with another tropical system, Higos, located further out over the Pacific. Some modeling suggests the possibility of a Fujiwhara interaction, in which two nearby storms influence each other’s movement, making precise predictions more difficult for the coming days.

This complexity is feeding uncertainty for airlines and travelers alike. Carriers are adopting conservative schedules around Okinawa and Kyushu, with further cancellations possible if rain bands stall or intensify over key airports. Travelers with itineraries through southern Japan over the weekend are being advised in publicly available guidance to monitor airline notifications closely and consider flexible routing where possible.

For now, Mekkhala’s strongest impacts are concentrated in the country’s southwest, but the broader weather pattern is expected to push unsettled conditions toward central Japan. That prospect has prompted airlines serving Osaka and Nagoya to begin issuing early advisories, signaling that today’s 120-plus cancellations may only be the first phase of a wider, evolving disruption across the Asia-Pacific travel corridor.